This article from Vermont's Rutland Times adds more to the discussion of how differences in neurochemistry lead to differences in the way boys and girls learn. There was a time when some educators called for separating the sexes kn class so that girls wouldn't get shouted down by the mre aggressive boys. Now, the discussion has moved to how combined classes may not serve the needs of boys, either.
Rick Montgomery writes,
Maryland physician Leonard Sax is so convinced of nature's role in learning, he founded a national group calling on public schools to segregate classrooms by gender. "Both girls and boys have been disadvantaged by a system that disregards their hard-wiring."
For example, science has shown — and teachers should know, he said — that little girls generally hear better than little boys.
Even as toddlers, girls tend to score higher in language ability, face recognition, fine motor skills and "social sensitivity."
Their higher doses of oxytocin, a hormone linked to bonding, probably plays a role, scientists believe.
Girls even test out better at multitasking.
